The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has described as false and dangerous the allegation by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso that the President Bola Tinubu-led government is marginalising northern Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday, Kole Omololu, national organising secretary of Afenifere, said Kwankwaso’s “alarmist rhetoric” was an attempt to mislead the public and ignite regional tension.
Part of the statement read: “Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s recent outburst, alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is marginalising the North and concentrating national resources in the South, is not only grossly misleading but also deliberately incendiary.
“As a former governor and minister, one would expect Senator Kwankwaso to speak with facts, not emotions laced with sectional bias.”
Afenifere said the North enjoyed disproportionate federal attention under former President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that Kwankwaso was silent during that era.
The group said: “It must be stated unequivocally that no region in Nigeria has benefited more from concentrated federal presence in the past decade than the North.
“The World Bank Managing Director publicly disclosed that President Buhari specifically directed the institution to focus its interventions in northern Nigeria. Where was Kwankwaso’s voice for equity and fairness then?”
The group also criticised the construction of the Kano-Maradi railway into the Niger Republic under Buhari, questioning its economic relevance to Nigeria.
“Meanwhile, under the same regime, the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, started by President Jonathan and designed to reach Iwo Junction, remained uncompleted.
“The Second Niger Bridge was still pending upon Buhari’s exit after eight years in office. Less than two years into President Tinubu’s administration, Kwankwaso is crying foul,” the group added.
Afenifere listed key projects currently ongoing in the North, including the dualisation of the Kano-Maiduguri road, Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega road, the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia corridor, and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline.
“Just weeks ago, President Tinubu approved billions for critical infrastructure in Katsina, Borno, and Niger States,” it said.
The group said Kwankwaso’s remarks were aimed at stoking ethnic sentiment, warning Nigerians not to be swayed.
“Kwankwaso’s alarmist rhetoric is not only unfair but also deeply dangerous. It stokes regional tension and paints a false picture of deliberate southern favouritism.
“We must rise above ethnic saboteurs and sectional agitators masquerading as patriots. Let statesmen, not ethnic lords, shape the conversation,” the group concluded.
